Infield: Prince Hal Chase (1905-19) was a stylish first baseman and inveterate ruffian during the rough-and-tumble era when gamblers and roustabouts threatened to sieze control of the sport. He was a .290 hitter who didn’t draw many walks or hit with any power, but the writers of his day described him as a fielder who left observers gasping for adjectives worthy of his brilliance. He was also a cad and a charmer, perhaps the central figure in the downward spiral that led to the fixing of the 1919 World Series. He was greedy and corrupt, and he seemed to have the ability to corrupt those around him and draw them into his various schemes. Many teammates fell under his charismatic spell, and many managers came to bitterly resent the influence he cast over any team that he played on. In 1910, playing for the New York Highlanders, Chase decided that he didn’t like manager George Stallings, who had taken over a miserable team and turned it into a winner. But Chase thought that he should have been manager, so he began throwing games to make his Stallings look bad. When the situation came to a head, the owner fired Stallings and made Chase the manager. He operated brazenly, bribing teammates and opponents while somehow earning the loyalty of enough people to keep himself around. He was ultimately banned for life, but not before he played a central role (perhaps the central role) in dragging baseball into a gutter of gamblers, criminals and cheats. His name is not well known to modern fans, but he was one of the most fascinating and (unfortunately) influential players of the deadball era. Third baseman Harlond Clift (1934-45) is another guy who modern fans don’t know, but he was a very good player. The historian Bill James refers to Clift as the first modern third baseman, marking the transition of that position from a “defense first” position into one that came to breed sluggers. Clift was not a bad defensive player, but he was a home run hitter in a time when third basemen were expected to be bunters and hit-and-run guys. He also drew 100 walks a year and put a ton of runs on the board, but he was never recognized for his skills in large part because he spent his career with the St. Louis Browns and the Washington Senators. Hughie Critz (1924-35) was a slick-fielding, weak-hitting second baseman for the Reds and Giants.In 1926, batting .270 for a second-place Cincinnati team, he impressed onlookers enough to finish second in the MVP voting, and two years later, batting .296 for a team that slipped to fifth place, he finished fourth in the voting. Clearly he made an impression, though his stats are hardly eye-catching today. Horace Clarke (1965-74) primarily played second base but he moves to his secondary position to play shortstop on this team. Clarke was a decent enough player, but he had the misfortune of arriving with the New York Yankees at the precise moment that the team marked (rather decisively) the end of its long period of dominance. The Babe Ruth Era had given way to the Joe DiMaggio Era which led to the Mickey Mantle Era, and through no fault of his own, the late 1960s became derisively known as the Horace Clarke Era. In truth, he was a similar player to Critz – good glove, not much offense but not a complete disaster at the plate, a little bit of speed – but where Critz got MVP votes, Clarke was held up as the symbol of the Yankees’ collapse.
Outfield: Left fielder Hub Collins (1886-92) was a .284 hitter who stole lots of bases and scored bunches of runs. In May of 1892, at age 28, he asked out of a game because he was not feeling well. He died a week later of typhoid fever. He was never a frontline star on the level of an Anson or a Lajoie, but he was a good player who might have put up some impressive numbers if he’d been lucky enough to have a full career. Center fielder Harry Craft (1937-42) was a .250 hitter who would hit a dozen home runs a year. He was a good defensive outfielder, but he never made it back to the majors after World War II. Right fielder Henry Cotto (1984-93), a.k.a. “Cotto the Swatto,” had great tools – he was fast and threw well – but he never produced much in the way of offense. He was never able to nail down a full-time job, but he would always get another shot at playing time because he just looked like he could play.
Catcher: Harry Chiti (1950-62) was a big, burly guy who made his major league debut at age 17 and hung around for a decade (interrupted by military service) as a part-time player. He earned his own little niche in the annals of baseball trivia in 1962 when the Indians traded him to the expansion Mets for a player to be named later. The Mets, after watching him bat .195 for a few weeks, told the Indians that Chiti himself would be the “player to be named later,” thus completing a deal in which Harry Chiti was traded for himself. (The team’s broadcasts will operate on an eight-second delay in case announcer Harry Caray mispronounces “Chiti.”)
Rotation: Howie Camnitz (1904-15) was a very fine pitcher for some very fine Pirates teams led by Honus Wagner. He won 20 games three times, including a 25-6 record for the 1909 world champions (though the Tigers lit him up in his one start in the World Series). He finished his career with a 133-106 record. Hal Carlson (1917-30) was also a teammate of Honus Wagner, pitching for the Pirates a few years after Camnitz. Carlson won 114 games in his career, split relatively evenly among Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Cubs. He was pitching for the Cubs at age 38 when he missed a couple of starts because he was not feeling well. Two weeks later, he collapsed and died of a hemhorrage. (Considering the deaths of Hub Collins and Hal Carlson, the team’s training staff will be instructed to rush any player to the hospital at the slightest sign of fever, nausea or general achiness.) Harry Coveleski (1907-18) made a big first impression. In 1907, at age 21, he worked four games in relief for Philadelphia and allowed just 10 hits and two runs (both unearned) in 20 innings. The following year, he beat the powerhouse Giants twice in stretch run, costing New York dearly in a tight pennant race that was ultimately won by the Cubs. Even so, Coveleski did not become a full-time starter until 1914 when he joined the Detroit Tigers rotation and proceeded to win 65 games in three years. He finished with an 81-55 career record, and he also had three 20-win seasons in the minors. He was a fine pitcher, but ultimately overshadowed by his younger brother, Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski. (The two brothers worked hard, with some cooperation from their managers, to never pitch against one another.) Harry Courtney (1919-22) was a tall drink o’water who hung around as a lefty with the Washington Senators for a few years but never did much to distinguish himself. Hugh Campbell (1873) made 18 starts for the Elizabeth Resolutes in the National Association. He won two games (the only two that his team won all season) and lost 16. When he wasn’t pitching, he would occasionally play infield, but he was a .150 hitter, so he didn’t stick around long.
Bullpen: Closer Hugh Casey (1935-49) was a fine reliever for the Brooklyn Dodgers, leading the NL twice in saves and winning quite a few games in relief as well. He was a heavy drinker who fancied himself as a macho man. One spring training, while in Cuba, he became friends with Ernest Hemingway, and they amused themselves by getting drunk in Hemingway’s basement, putting on boxing gloves and beating each other bloody. (From all reports, by the time they were done “boxing,” there was not a piece of furniture in the room that remained intact.) The alcoholism continued to get worse, and Casey committed suicide at age 37. Hector Carrasco (1994-2007) was an effective reliever but never a star for seven different teams. Howard Craghead (1931-33) had no record and a 6.26 ERA in 15 games for the Indians, but he is noteworthy for the facts that (a.) he won 200 games in the minors, and (b.) he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Harry Camnitz (1909-11) is Howie’s less successful brother. He was a career minor-leaguer who appeared in one game for Pittsburgh and two for the Cardinals. Henry Coppola (1935-36) pitched briefly for the Washington Senators. If he is any relation to the legendary movie family, history has not recorded it. Hap Collard (1927-30) pitched for a few years in Cleveland and Philadelphia and got roughed up pretty good. Henry Clarke (1897-98) was the son of a prominent Nebraska businessman, and for a couple of years he spent his summer break from college pitching for the Cleveland Spiders and the Chicago Cubs before moving on to a propserous career in law and business. His middle name was Tefft. Yes, with two F’s.
Bench: Shortstop Harry Chappas (1978-80) was a reserve shortstop for the White Sox. He was 5-foot-7, but as a publicity stunt team owner Bill Veeck listed him as 5-foot-3 and lots of publications fell for the ruse and did big stories on the little fellow (including a cover story in Sports Illustrated). Chappas was an interesting fellow – his hobbies included crafting model airplanes and raising finches – but he wasn’t a very good ballplayer. He was rushed to the majors at age 20 and finished by his mid-20s. His minor-league record suggests that he might have been a useful utility infielder if he hadn’t been promoted from Single-A to the majors as a publicity stunt. Third baseman Hector “Heity” Cruz (1973-82), younger brother of Jose Cruz, was a very good minor-league hitter who arrived in the majors amid much hype and then flopped badly, never even reaching .240 in his nine-year career. Hee-Seop Choi (2002-05) was a hulking first baseman from South Korea who signed with the Cubs, had a fine minor-league career and produced a bit of power for a few years in the majors. Howie Clark (2002-08) looked like he might be useful as a fourth outfielder, but he fizzled out pretty quickly, though he had some decent years in the minors into his late 30s. Hick Cady (1912-19) was a backup catcher who won three World Series titles with the Red Sox in the teens. There’s not a lot of difference between Hick Cady and Harry Chiti, so Cady will see his share of starts.
Manager: Harry Craft will be the player-manager. His managerial record (360-485) isn’t good, but then, he managed the Kansas City A’s and the expansion Houston Colt .45’s, so he didn’t have a lot to work with.
Outfield: Left fielder Hub Collins (1886-92) was a .284 hitter who stole lots of bases and scored bunches of runs. In May of 1892, at age 28, he asked out of a game because he was not feeling well. He died a week later of typhoid fever. He was never a frontline star on the level of an Anson or a Lajoie, but he was a good player who might have put up some impressive numbers if he’d been lucky enough to have a full career. Center fielder Harry Craft (1937-42) was a .250 hitter who would hit a dozen home runs a year. He was a good defensive outfielder, but he never made it back to the majors after World War II. Right fielder Henry Cotto (1984-93), a.k.a. “Cotto the Swatto,” had great tools – he was fast and threw well – but he never produced much in the way of offense. He was never able to nail down a full-time job, but he would always get another shot at playing time because he just looked like he could play.
Catcher: Harry Chiti (1950-62) was a big, burly guy who made his major league debut at age 17 and hung around for a decade (interrupted by military service) as a part-time player. He earned his own little niche in the annals of baseball trivia in 1962 when the Indians traded him to the expansion Mets for a player to be named later. The Mets, after watching him bat .195 for a few weeks, told the Indians that Chiti himself would be the “player to be named later,” thus completing a deal in which Harry Chiti was traded for himself. (The team’s broadcasts will operate on an eight-second delay in case announcer Harry Caray mispronounces “Chiti.”)
Rotation: Howie Camnitz (1904-15) was a very fine pitcher for some very fine Pirates teams led by Honus Wagner. He won 20 games three times, including a 25-6 record for the 1909 world champions (though the Tigers lit him up in his one start in the World Series). He finished his career with a 133-106 record. Hal Carlson (1917-30) was also a teammate of Honus Wagner, pitching for the Pirates a few years after Camnitz. Carlson won 114 games in his career, split relatively evenly among Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Cubs. He was pitching for the Cubs at age 38 when he missed a couple of starts because he was not feeling well. Two weeks later, he collapsed and died of a hemhorrage. (Considering the deaths of Hub Collins and Hal Carlson, the team’s training staff will be instructed to rush any player to the hospital at the slightest sign of fever, nausea or general achiness.) Harry Coveleski (1907-18) made a big first impression. In 1907, at age 21, he worked four games in relief for Philadelphia and allowed just 10 hits and two runs (both unearned) in 20 innings. The following year, he beat the powerhouse Giants twice in stretch run, costing New York dearly in a tight pennant race that was ultimately won by the Cubs. Even so, Coveleski did not become a full-time starter until 1914 when he joined the Detroit Tigers rotation and proceeded to win 65 games in three years. He finished with an 81-55 career record, and he also had three 20-win seasons in the minors. He was a fine pitcher, but ultimately overshadowed by his younger brother, Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski. (The two brothers worked hard, with some cooperation from their managers, to never pitch against one another.) Harry Courtney (1919-22) was a tall drink o’water who hung around as a lefty with the Washington Senators for a few years but never did much to distinguish himself. Hugh Campbell (1873) made 18 starts for the Elizabeth Resolutes in the National Association. He won two games (the only two that his team won all season) and lost 16. When he wasn’t pitching, he would occasionally play infield, but he was a .150 hitter, so he didn’t stick around long.
Bullpen: Closer Hugh Casey (1935-49) was a fine reliever for the Brooklyn Dodgers, leading the NL twice in saves and winning quite a few games in relief as well. He was a heavy drinker who fancied himself as a macho man. One spring training, while in Cuba, he became friends with Ernest Hemingway, and they amused themselves by getting drunk in Hemingway’s basement, putting on boxing gloves and beating each other bloody. (From all reports, by the time they were done “boxing,” there was not a piece of furniture in the room that remained intact.) The alcoholism continued to get worse, and Casey committed suicide at age 37. Hector Carrasco (1994-2007) was an effective reliever but never a star for seven different teams. Howard Craghead (1931-33) had no record and a 6.26 ERA in 15 games for the Indians, but he is noteworthy for the facts that (a.) he won 200 games in the minors, and (b.) he was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Harry Camnitz (1909-11) is Howie’s less successful brother. He was a career minor-leaguer who appeared in one game for Pittsburgh and two for the Cardinals. Henry Coppola (1935-36) pitched briefly for the Washington Senators. If he is any relation to the legendary movie family, history has not recorded it. Hap Collard (1927-30) pitched for a few years in Cleveland and Philadelphia and got roughed up pretty good. Henry Clarke (1897-98) was the son of a prominent Nebraska businessman, and for a couple of years he spent his summer break from college pitching for the Cleveland Spiders and the Chicago Cubs before moving on to a propserous career in law and business. His middle name was Tefft. Yes, with two F’s.
Bench: Shortstop Harry Chappas (1978-80) was a reserve shortstop for the White Sox. He was 5-foot-7, but as a publicity stunt team owner Bill Veeck listed him as 5-foot-3 and lots of publications fell for the ruse and did big stories on the little fellow (including a cover story in Sports Illustrated). Chappas was an interesting fellow – his hobbies included crafting model airplanes and raising finches – but he wasn’t a very good ballplayer. He was rushed to the majors at age 20 and finished by his mid-20s. His minor-league record suggests that he might have been a useful utility infielder if he hadn’t been promoted from Single-A to the majors as a publicity stunt. Third baseman Hector “Heity” Cruz (1973-82), younger brother of Jose Cruz, was a very good minor-league hitter who arrived in the majors amid much hype and then flopped badly, never even reaching .240 in his nine-year career. Hee-Seop Choi (2002-05) was a hulking first baseman from South Korea who signed with the Cubs, had a fine minor-league career and produced a bit of power for a few years in the majors. Howie Clark (2002-08) looked like he might be useful as a fourth outfielder, but he fizzled out pretty quickly, though he had some decent years in the minors into his late 30s. Hick Cady (1912-19) was a backup catcher who won three World Series titles with the Red Sox in the teens. There’s not a lot of difference between Hick Cady and Harry Chiti, so Cady will see his share of starts.
Manager: Harry Craft will be the player-manager. His managerial record (360-485) isn’t good, but then, he managed the Kansas City A’s and the expansion Houston Colt .45’s, so he didn’t have a lot to work with.
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